10. The Silent Treatment

Her mind was floating beyond the ship. Walking the dark path, she came upon a sitting figure. The closer she got the angrier she became. It was Kazira sitting on the floor drumming her fingers.

"Why are you here? This is my place!" She had frightened the spirit causing her to nearly lose her balance,

'I can sit wherever I damn well please, thank you.' Kazira turned around to continue her verbal assault. She was left breathless at the sight before her. Rushing forward, she kneeled at Kimera's feet.

'Forgive me Mistress; I did not know it was you. Your voice … it hasn't changed yet. You still sound like the child. Please have mercy?' Kazira was groveling and kissing her bare feet. Kimera was freaked out and kicked her square in the jaw.

"Don't touch me, you traitor. What 'mission' was it you spoke of before I came here? Answer me spirit!" her voice rang out in the empty space; the frustration clearly there.

'All that has happened to you; you leaving home, meeting 'him', and your betrayal, it was all predestined.' She had no time to react as Kimera's fist connected with her left cheek, sending her to the floor again. Looking up she saw the first glimpse of the darkness inside Kimera. Her eyes were blazing red; their hatred all for her.

"You put me through all this bullshit for some asinine prophecy? Fuck, I'm glad he killed you before I got the chance." Kimera landed a kick to her ribs to get her point across, and then turned around to leave. She stopped at the gurgled response behind her.

'I only did as I was told'

"Who could over rule me? I am the High Priestesses daughter and…" It all clicked. "She wouldn't…" At Kazira's exhausted nod she closed herself off. "Mother brought this curse on me then I shall bring it back to her ten fold."

Walking away from the defeated spirit, Kimera's retreating back said the words that sealed Kazira's fate. "You will never see daylight through my eyes again. This is where you will dwell until I die."

Riddick had just completed a 3hr workout in the belly of the ship. Apparently those mercs kept themselves in decent shape. He avoided the western shower room completely, and used the back washroom instead. Even after four days of thorough cleaning with every product he could find, the room still reeked of death; more death than he could stand. Four days, and she was still out; he was beginning to get worried. They were only one system away from Jopah 5 and he would need her awake for the landing. He had tried everything except hitting her to rouse her from her catatonic state. More than anything he was trying to wrap his head around what had happened.

He didn't like the eeriness that surrounded and flowed through the ship. It was as if the ship were giving him the silent treatment. Every time he passed his door he would stop, wait, and hope that she would open it to greet him with a shy smile. Someone as deadly and heartless as him missed her presence. He cursed himself for the thousandth time that day. He averted his eyes from the door and headed down the hall to his new room. He was furious at her for leaving him here on this silent trip. Silence. Silence. Silence. He was going to ban that word from his vocabulary for the rest of his life. Pressing his finger to the panel on his door he stepped inside and immediately began shucking his clothes off. They were thrown into a corner where a small basket was already half full with his dirty clothes. This room had a shower inside, which gave him the impression that it was the master of this wing.

Riddick had never had any problems with being naked until he stepped under the hot water. He felt eyes on him, and yet there was no one in there with him. Then he realized that is wasn't someone in there with him, but something. Ending his shower rather abruptly, he dried off quickly and threw on a pair of sweat pants. Leaving the room with shiv in hand, he made his way down to his old room. When his hand touched the door he was presented with that same strange feeling that he was being watched. Turning the handle, he searched the room with a quick eye. When his sight landed on the bed he was met with the glowing eyes of a wide awake Kimera. She was still lying on the bed but her head was up and she was staring right at him. She hadn't blinked once since he entered the room. As he moved to the side of the bed, he noticed that her eyes weren't following him. She appeared to still be asleep even though her eyes were open. He had a death drip on the shiv as he placed it under her chin and applied pressure to get her attention.

"It's not me that you should be worrying about Riddick. We are not alone on this ship." Her voice echoed off the walls. He noticed how it had turned dark again. He was staring at her with his shiv still pressed firm against her throat.

"Why should I trust you? How do I even know that you're still Kimera?" She turned her head slowly and looked at him.

"That's the thing Riddick, you don't know. But like I said before, it's not me you have to worry about. Now, release me." Kimera or he assumed it was her, was leaning forward to rest her upper weight on her elbows. She glanced suggestively down at her wrists where she was cuffed to the bed.

Riddick gave her a hard look. "No"

"No?" her brow was furrowed and he could hear the surprise in her voice.

"The fuck you mean 'No'? Get these things off me Riddick or else." She had growled the last part out to him. Now he was smirking at her bravado. No one had spoken to him like that in a long time.

With a big smile he said it again. "No"

"Fine then, you asked for it." She lifted her right arm and pulled, yanking the chain that was attached to the bed post off. She did the same with her left. She was about to pull her legs up when Riddick pinned her to the bed.

"GET THE FUCK OFFA ME!" She was struggling trying to get the upper hand but he was so much bigger than her. Thrashing about she looked at him and saw the huge smile on his face. He was enjoying this. He was enjoying her anger and weakness. She stopped moving and looked him right in the eyes. Laying her head back she waited. As he began to lower his face towards hers, she snapped her head forward to connect with his nose, breaking it.

"FUCK! You fuckin' bitch!" his nose was bleeding profusely as he kneed above her. Kimera licked the blood off her face that had dripped from his broken nose. Her pupils dilated as soon as it hit her tongue. Pulling her legs back and snapping the chains she wrapped her ankles around his neck and locked them there. As she swung to her side to reverse their positions, Riddick pulled back his hand and sunk the shiv into her side, right under her ribs. She inhaled a sharp breath but did not stop moving until she had him under her. Now she had the upper hand.

Removing her legs from his head, she placed them under his back, locked her ankles, and squeezed. Riddick stopped moving. "Any sudden movements and I'll break all your ribs." She looked down to her side where the shiv handle was sticking out. "And this," she yanked it out without flinching. "This has no effect on me mortal. Get that through your thick skull." She tapped the blade on his bald head. He was fuming at her. Lips pressed together in a firm line and the wrinkle in his forehead gave her the urge to laugh. His thoughts consisted of ways to throw her off and slit her throat. "Now would you like to know who is on the ship with us, or do I have to chain you to the bed while I handle it?" She raised her hand and the chains began to shake before shooting out and wrapping around Riddick's arms and legs.

"You don't who you're fucking with girl." He snarled at her as she placed her hands on his face. Leaning forward, her eyes changed to a red shine. "Honey you have no idea what you're fucking with." She punched him across the face hard. He was out cold.

She pressed a kiss to his forehead, his cheeks, and then a very soft one on his lips. Moving back she looked at his face. She used her hands to smooth out the frown lines on his head and admired his beauty for a moment. "You're safer in your sleep," she stroked his cheek absentmindedly. "I guess he wants both of us dead." She placed her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. "I protect what is mine." Sliding down and off his body, she walked over to the half mirror on the wall. During that whole conversation she had been naked. "Well ain't that some shit?" She ran her hands down her cheat slowing at her breasts to feel the change in them, they were bigger. "Like I need bigger tits, geez." Continuing further, her hands rested on her stomach. Flat as a board. Turning around, she looked at her back and saw the two foot long slits over her shoulder blades. Reaching around, she touched them and winced. "Damn, they're still sore. Shit shouldn't hurt so much." She heard a low moan from outside the door. Judging by the faintness, she guessed it was on the other side of the ship, from the west wing. "Time to change."

She bent over at the knees and her wings pushed out from her back and folded around her. A second later they pulled back to reveal a black tank top, black sleeves connected to the straps of the tank and a pair of black khaki pants that were tight in all the right places. "Hmm I need shoes" Pulling two feathers from her right wing, she placed them on the floor and blew on them. The feathers disappeared leaving behind a pair of flat, black ballet shoes. She slipped them on and made her way over to the closet. She found a few small daggers and a pulse gun. Even though she hated them, it still might come in handy. Prepping herself for what lay ahead on the other side of the ship, she went to the door. Looking back on the sleeping Riddick, she sighed. "Sleep until I return. If I don't, then never wake up."

"Yes" His body responded verbally to the spell she cast upon him.

"I couldn't bear to think what 'he' would do to you." With that she opened the door and headed towards the western part of the ship.